After one last and very final interview with the lovely Vanessa Phelps on my chosen subject, tiaras, just prior to the Royal wedding (I am now a world authority on the snazzy headgear), we managed to escape the pomp, road blocks and silly hats, choosing instead to join the arty set for a gallery weekend in Berlin. 

The highlight and reason for going was to see the opening of a new installation by our friends; collaborative artists Sue Webster & Tim Noble.  They said that the piece had been inspired by time they spent with me while I was making their wedding rings.  The rings in turn had been inspired by their book called “The Joy of Sex”.  (A lot of drawings of them having sex.)  Are you with me so far?

Of course I was flattered and intrigued.  The unveiling was the next day.  Despite a massive hangover or perhaps due to it, I managed to turn on the TV at 7 am for some wedding coverage.  Six hours later, I was dragged (for my own sanity) away for lunch followed by a tour of recommended galleries, pre-selected by our friend Cheyenne who is head of contemporary art for Sotheby’s.

After several shows, we ended up at a quintessentially Berlinesque venue.  For the uninitiated that’s a vast, ex-East German industrial space of which there seem to be plenty.  As expected, the crowd were arty chic.  This was where Sue and Tim’s opening was to take place.  The installation was on show on an upper floor.  I asked Tim to come up with us but he told me he was too nervous to view it with me, once again referring to the inspiration.  By then I was bracing myself for a portrait perhaps in a compromised position.

The journey to the piece was in itself, an experience.  A pitch black narrow tunnel with many sharp bends.  The blackness and the disorientation made the experience incredibly claustrophobic.  Finally, turning the seventh corner, there it was - “Turning the7th corner” - an iconic Webster/Noble shadow sculpture.

The shadows were of their heads in profile cast onto a white wall from light directed through two magnificent glowing golden sculptures, compiled from hundreds of cast dead rodents, woodland, and farm animal parts.  I was starting to clock the inspirational link.  Collected over many years, cast in silver and plated in 18ct gold, the dried out carcasses, sculls, heads, feet and rope resulted in the most intriguing 32kg’s of precious metal memento mori I have seen for as long as I can remember.  Of course, I found it all very inspirational.